Portable reading-lamp.



G. W. CASSIDY.

PORTABLE READING LAMP. APPLICATION FILED 001'. 25, 1912.

1,079,315; Patented Nov. 18, 1913.

W/itnesses Inventor I Attorneys.

GEORGE w. CASSIDY, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

PoE'rA-BLE READING-LAMP.

Specification of LettersPatent. I

Patented Nov. 18, 1913.

Application filed October 25, 1912. Serial No. 727,645.

T 0 a whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE GASSIDY, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of the city of East Orange, county of Essex. and State of XewJersey, have invented a certain new and useful Portable Reading-Lamp, ofwhich the following is a specification.

The objects I have in view are to concentrate the light from a ortablelamp over a limited and controllab e area, and to prevent the directrays of the light from striking the eyes of the reader.

Further objects are to produce a device on which the area of theillumination may be adjusted.

A still further object is to renderthe lamp adjustable so as to directthe light in any direction, so that the light may be concentrated in asingle plane.

A further object is to produce a lamp which may be readily cleaned. I 4

Still further objects are to improve the details of construction.

These and further objects will more fully appear from the followingspecification and accompanying drawings, considered together orseparately.

p In the drawings: Figure 1 is a sectional view of an electricv lampembodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the lines 2-2 ofFig. 1: and Fig. 3 is an elevation of the supporting standard and frame.

In all of the views. like parts are designated by the same referencecharacters.

In carrying out my invention, I provide a suitable light, 1. This lightmay be an incandescent electric lamp as shown in Fig. 1.. Any othersuitable source of illumination may be employed.

The light 1 is carried upon and supported by the base 2. Any form ofbase may be chosen for the purpose. I prefer to arrange the base asshown, making it of a single part. and containing the-lamp switch. Thelightis inclosed by a reflector 3. This reflector is open at the top.Its upper edge is above the level of the light. I prefer to employ asilvered glass reflector. In order to protect the glass from injury. itis covered by a metallic casing 9. The casing and reflector are shown asmade up of separate parts; but this need not be so.

In connection with the parts thus described, I employ a diffuser 4. Thisdiffuser acts as an artificial ceiling. The underside them into the eyeshade. be made empirically by formmg the curve of the diffuser ispreferably made dead white. It is preferably not polished. It ispreferably made concave upon a parabolic curve, as shown. The purpose ofthis diffuse-r is to interrupt the light rays which are reflected upwardand diffuse them downward over a limited area. The diffuser is combinedwith the eye shade 4*, the two being preferably integrally connected,and the line or point of separation being at approximately the pointm.'r (Fig. 1). I purpose to so design the diffuser that the rays oflight which are directlycast upward by the lamp 1, and reflected upwardby the reflector 3, will be diffused and thrown downward, in the spaceconfined by the eye shade. I dispose the diffuser so that the curve ofits surface (usually a parabola) will intercept all or most of the raysand direct them downward, without directing Thls diffuser can of a largenumber of connected planes, each located at an angle equal to ninetydegrees to the sine of the angle of the ascending and descending rays oflight.

The diffuser is suitably supported upon the lamp. The means chosen forillustra- ;t1on in Figs. 1 and 3 comprises a standard The standard isvertically arranged above the light. Itis supported upon a frame 6. Thisframe. is carried upon the reflect-or casing 9. The standard passesthrough a central opening in the diffuser. A set screw 7 is carried bythe diffuser and engages with the standard and locks the diffuser inposition. By means of this set screw the diffuser may be adjustedvertically. to define the extent of area in which the light is reflecteddownward by the diffuser. I prefer to so locate the diffuser that theouter edge thereof is below the line of sightwh-ich is located at apoint between the upper edge of the reflector and the light. By thisarrangement. the user of the lamp cannot see the light directly. Thediffuser, however, may be adjusted vertically in the manner described,so as to throw the light downward upon the reading matter or work thatthe user desires to have illuminated. thus varying the extent ofillumination in a symmetrical manner. I prefer to connect the standard 5with the frame 6 by means of a flexible joint 8, so that the angle ofthe standard and the difluser may be adjusted. By means of thisconstrucchanging the vertical position of the diftion, the diffuser-maybe tilted, whereby the distribution of light will vary with the angle atwhich the diffuser is tilted, and will be asymmetric. In this case, oneportion of the field around the lamp may be illuminated to a much higherintensity than other portions. For example, a portion of the readingpage may be more highlyilluminated than surrounding portions, so thatthe reader will secure increased illumination to the book, while thesurrounding objects will secure less illumination, and the eyes of thereader will receive no direct rays of light. This double adjustment ofthe diffuser I regard as very important, as the extent of illuminationcan be adjusted by fuser, the area of illumination being'alwayssymmetrical, while by tilting the diffuser, the area of illumination canbe shifted, and then be asymmetric.

The joint 8 I prefer to make as follows:

The frame 6 carries a boss 10, having one plane surfaces into engagementand thereby produces a friction joint, which when adjusted, will holdthe standard 5 at any angle at which it may be placed.

The frame 6 is preferably attached to the casing 9 in the followingmanner, which per- .mits ready access to the light, the reflector andthe under side of the diffuser for cleaning. The frame has three legs,as shown. One of these legs is connected to the casing 9, by means of ahinge joint 14. The other two legs are connected to the casing byremovable connections. I show in the draw ings, screws 15 for thispurpose. These screws pass through holes in the ends of the legs andenter threaded openings in the casing. They have milled heads. By meansof these screws, two of the legs may be disconnected from the casing,thus allowing the frame 8 to be raised, turning upon the hinge 14, asshown by broken lines in Fig. 1. This will render the light 1accessible, and will also allow the reflector 3 and the inside of thediffuser and eye shade to be cleaned.

As stated before, the diffuser and eye shade are preferably integrallyconnected, thus forming a diflusing shade. The outsides of the base, thereflector casmg and the diffuser may be ornamented in any suitablemanner. The details and pro portions of the lamp may be varied, so thatit may be utilized for other purposes.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I havedescribed the principle of my invention, together with the apparatuswhich I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof; but Idesire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is merelyillustrative and that the invention can be carried out in other ways.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A portable lamp, having a light; an inclosing reflector, open at theto and with its upper edge above the line 0 the light; a diffusingshade, above the reflector and extending beyond the edges of thereflector; and means for supporting the diffuser to permit vertical andangular adjustment.

2. A portable lamp, having a light; an in- ,closing reflector, open atthe top and with its upper edge above the line of the light; a diffuserabove the reflector, said diffuser being formed upon a concave paraboliccurve, and extending beyond the edges of the reflector; and an eye shadebeyond the diffuser; and means for varying the inclination of saiddiffuser.

3. A portable lamp, having a light; an inclosing'reflector, open at thetop and with its up er edge above the line of the light; a di usingshade above the reflector; and a frame connected to the reflector, saidconnection including a hinge, whereby the frame may be swung-to oneside.

4. A portable lamp, having a light; an inclosing reflector, open at thetop and with its upper edge above the line of the light; a diffusingshade above the reflector; a frame above the reflector, a standardconnected to the frame; a friction joint connecting the frame andstandard; and means connecting the shade and standard. I

5. A portable lamp, having a light; an inclosing reflector, open at-thetop and with its upper edge above the line of the light; a diffusingshade above the reflector; a frame above the reflector, the support forthe frame including a hinge joint; a standard connected to the frame; afriction joint, connecting the frame and standard; and adjustable meansbetween the diffuser and standard, permitting vertical adjustment of theshadel This specification signed and witnessed this 17 day of October1912.

GEORGE W. CASSIDY. Witnesses:

LEONARD J BECK, LILLY A. DAHNKE.

